BR54HB Battle Rifle
The BR54 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle (BR54HB SR), more commonly referred to as the Battle Rifle, is a United Nations Space Command infantry firearm and the predecessor of the BR55HB Battle Rifle. Overview & Background The BR54HB Battle Rifle is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, mid-to-long range weapon. Despite the BR54HB firing the same M634 9.5x40mm X-HP-SAP rounds from a 36-round magazine as the BR55, each round has a lower velocity when fired by the former, and thus are not as powerful. This makes the BR54HB extremely ineffective against shielded enemies, requiring multiple bursts to even bring down the shields of an Elite Minor. However, the heavy rounds still deal reasonable damage to unshielded enemies and can instantly kill if a headshot is landed. The BR54HB features a telescopic sight capable of 3x magnification, which complements its high accuracy and capability to strike targets at from a medium to long range. Additionally, the BR54HB is more modular than its successor, capable of equipping a variety of attachments which allow it to adapt to a variety of different combat scenarios. One of the more notable differences to the BR54HB Battle Rifle compared to other variants is its ability to manually change firing modes. While unscoped, the weapon is permanently set to burst fire. But while scoped in, the user has the option to switch between semi-automatic and burst-fire modes. Semi-automatic fire, which fires one round with each pull of the trigger instead of three, allows the weapon to take on a sniping role by eliminating unshielded targets at a medium to long range without wasting ammo. Alternatively, the weapon can switch to burst fire to both stun and kill protected enemies such Jackals and Brutes, or to kill groups of unprotected enemies simultaneously. The weapon will revert to burst fire when unscoped, but it retains the last setting used when the operator scopes in again. BR54HB/GL Battle Rifle The BR54 Heavy Barrel/Grenade Launcher Service Rifle (BR54HB/GL SR), more commonly called the Grenade Launcher Battle Rifle, is a variant of the BR54HB Battle Rifle with an attached M45 Underslung Grenade Launcher. The BR54HB/GL is virtually identical to the standard BR54HB, but features a foregrip-mounted M45 Underslung Grenade Launcher attachment. Similar to the Brute Shot, the M45 fires high-explosive grenades that travel in a gradual arc and detonate upon impact with any surface. These grenades are powerful enough to eliminate small groups of enemies or tougher, individual targets in a direct hit. However, the Grenade Launcher can only hold a maximum of six grenades at a time, and can only be replenished from relatively uncommon grenade boxes. Additionally, the main weapon locks up after a grenade has been launched, and cannot be fired until the grenade launcher has chambered another round. BR54HB/S Battle Rifle The BR54 Heavy Barrel/Suppressed Service Rifle (BR54HB/S SR), more commonly called the Suppressed Battle Rifle, is a United Nations Space Command special operations firearm and variant of the BR54HB Battle Rifle. The BR54HB/S is virtually identical to the standard BR54HB, but features an SS/M 49 sound/muzzle flash suppressor, laser sight, matte black finish, alongside a recoloured ammo counter and scope. These modifications make the Suppressed Battle Rifle specifically tailored for use in stealth and night-time operations by UNSC Special Operations forces. The Suppressed Battle Rifle produces very little noise or muzzle flash when fired, allowing for the near-silent elimination of enemy forces without alerting them to the user's position. Additionally, the recoloured scope, ammo counter and matte black finish assist in reducing the weapon's light signature and reflectivity respectively, allowing it and the user to remain concealed in dark or low light environments. Gameplay Information Advantages General * High accuracy * Three-round burst makes it easier to attain headshots * Large magazine * Ability to toggle between single-fire/burst-fire when zoomed could save a lot of ammo BR54HB/GL * The Grenade Launcher can induce high damage, making it an effective anti-vehicular weapon * The Grenade Launcher could also compensate for the Battle Rifle's low damage against energy shield system. One could effectively lower the shield of an Elite Ultra/Zealot with the Grenade Launcher attachment before finishing them with a headshot BR54HB/S *The Silencer helps in taking out non-shielded patrols without alerting sleeping enemies Disadvantages General * The Battle Rifle's individual bullets have almost negligible damage against shield systems, and pose little damage when shot in the body. For this reason, it is best fired in 3 round bursts unless specifically aiming for the head from range. BR54HB/GL * When the Grenade Launcher attachment is active, you can't use any other types of grenades unless you switched to another weapon BR54HB/S * Developer Information Trivia Gallery Category:UNSC Infantry Weapons